Chicago Cubs draft USD's Kris Bryant No. 2

Minutes after being selected by the Chicago Cubs with the second overall pick in baseball’s amateur draft Thursday, USD slugger Kris Bryant was connected to the Windy City media.

One question posed as Bryant celebrated in his Las Vegas home: How soon will you be playing in Wrigley Field?

“If we can make this deal happen, I obviously think I can play in the big leagues now,” Bryant said via conference call. “I have that type of confidence in myself.

“But that’s not my decision. I’ll leave that up to the guys in charge.”

Heading into his junior season at USD, the consensus on the 6-foot-5, 215-pound third baseman was that he’d be drafted somewhere in the top 10.

Then Bryant produced a breakout year, leading the nation during the regular season in home runs (30, 11 more than the next player), runs scored (72) and slugging percentage (.876), and tying for first with 51 walks.

By Thursday, most draft publications had Bryant going No. 3 to the Rockies. But the Cubs, possibly doing the Padres a favor, swooped in before Colorado.

Bryant demonstrated that he’s up on Cubs history, saying “I know they haven’t won a World Series in a while.”

Try since 1908. In 43 seasons since 1970, the Cubs have produced 13 winning seasons. Hence the “Lovable Losers” tag.

USD coach Rich Hill said Cubs President Theo Epstein, General Manager Jed Hoyer and Jason McLeod, the team’s scouting director, all traveled to Stockton for the West Coast Conference tournament in late May.

By the middle of the season, Bryant was getting pitched around so frequently that Hill moved the nation’s home run leader to the leadoff spot, so that at least once a game he’d see strikes.

While Bryant played predominantly at third base for USD, he also played first base and in the outfield. There’s a school of thought that Bryant might be too big to play third base in the major leagues.

McLeod, though, said the Cubs are confident that he can play the hot corner.

“We do think in the immediate future he’s going to play third base for quite a while,” McLeod said.

Three years ago, as a senior at Bonanza High in Las Vegas, Bryant was selected in the 18th round by the Toronto Blue Jays. Teams backed off from selecting Bryant higher because he had committed to attend USD.

The Blue Jays reportedly offered a signing bonus of $1 million to $1.2 million.

Baseball has established a slotting value for recommended bonuses. The suggested bonus for Bryant as the No. 2 player selected Thursday is $6,708,400.

Bryant becomes the highest USD player ever picked in the draft. In 2008, pitcher Brian Matusz was selected fourth overall by the Baltimore Orioles.

Including the postseason, Bryant finished the season with a school-record 31 home runs. The old record was 18.

He closed his career with a record 54 home runs in three seasons. The old record was 46, set by Sean Baron in four seasons.

Toreros #23 Kris Bryant in his bedroom at his home in Las Vegas, Nevada where he grew up playing little league and high school baseball before going off to play at University San Diego.
— Nelvin C. Cepeda / U-T SAN DIEGO

Toreros #23 Kris Bryant in his bedroom at his home in Las Vegas, Nevada where he grew up playing little league and high school baseball before going off to play at University San Diego.
— Nelvin C. Cepeda / U-T SAN DIEGO